Preview — Forbidden Touch by Paula Graves

ONE TOUCH WAS ALL IT TOOK FOR THE GORGEOUS STRANGER TO PENETRATE HIS SOUL.

He was a hardened former marine with a guarded past...until one touch from Iris Browning became his undoing. Thanks to the raven-haired beauty, reclusive millionaire Maddox Heller found himself back in the line of fire, chasing down an elusive killer who'd made Iris his next target. She claimed not tONE TOUCH WAS ALL IT TOOK FOR THE GORGEOUS STRANGER TO PENETRATE HIS SOUL.

He was a hardened former marine with a guarded past...until one touch from Iris Browning became his undoing. Thanks to the raven-haired beauty, reclusive millionaire Maddox Heller found himself back in the line of fire, chasing down an elusive killer who'd made Iris his next target. She claimed not to know why, and every instinct told Maddox to believe her. Still, trusting this virtual stranger seemed risky, especially as their relationship grew increasingly personal. Now, as ghosts from the past threatened to destroy the present, would one forbidden touch bring pleasure...or pain?...more

Paperback, Harlequin Intrigue, #1046, 250 pages

Published
February 1st 2008
by Harlequin
(first published January 2nd 2008)

Community Reviews

Forbidden Touch is an action adventure style intrigue by Paula Grave's and the final chapter of the Browning sister's adventurers. The third book in the series is a cinematic, emotionally charged and fast paced read. I highly recommend all three books in the series, and only wish there were more Browning sisters to read about.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about empath Iris Browning and her reluctant protector, former Marine Maddox Heller. Plenty of action, a wonderful cast of characters, a nice Caribbean island setting, and an exciting story all combine to make this one of my favorite Intrigues that I've read.

This is the last book of the three Forbidden books. It has a different feel to it because it takes place not in Alabama as the other books, but on an island called Mariposa. There are more tourists or unfamiliar people to Iris and she doesn’t have any knowledge of the area. She comes across Maddox while she is searching for her friend who is not at the hotel they were supposed to be staying.

Maddox didn’t seem like the typical brooding type as I felt he would be because of the blurb. He was hardeThis is the last book of the three Forbidden books. It has a different feel to it because it takes place not in Alabama as the other books, but on an island called Mariposa. There are more tourists or unfamiliar people to Iris and she doesn’t have any knowledge of the area. She comes across Maddox while she is searching for her friend who is not at the hotel they were supposed to be staying.

Maddox didn’t seem like the typical brooding type as I felt he would be because of the blurb. He was hardened in a way and regretful of an event in the past, but he was pretty talkative and helpful to Iris. From the blurb I thought she would have a hard time getting answers out of him or have a hard time even getting him to listen. He does become more firm or unrelenting in regards to her safety as it becomes known that there might be more going on at the hotel than was being revealed.

An important part of the story is a convention for people with other supernatural abilities than Iris’s that her friend has signed them up for. This added more mystery to the mystery. Iris has the ability to feel other peoples’ pain and transfer it to herself. I liked how Maddox was always able to find a way in to learn more about what is going on about the people that are supposed to be part of the convention but are missing/murdered and to keep an eye on Iris.

This wasn’t as enjoyable as the other books but still good. Part of the reason might be that we didn’t see Iris using her gift with Maddox as often or with more emphasis it seemed she would since he has so much pain inside. Another reason is that I was really hoping to see more of the sisters and their husbands in this book. since they didn’t really have a part in this one, we weren’t reminded of how Iris has two other sisters that have a gift as well. It seemed to separate her story from the other stories and I would prefer to see more of a connection. I also wish that all 3 sisters were shown at least once, using all their powers for the same case. At least for this last book, it would have been great ending with everyone present. Once again, I was a little disappointed that this book didn’t have a list of characters before the story as all the Harlequin Intrigue books do....more

Very good conclusion to the Browning Sisters trilogy. Iris has arrived on the island to meet a friend, only to find that the friend signed them up for a conference about paranormal abilities and is now missing. While searching for her friend Iris meets Maddox who calls himself a beach bum but seems to have appointed himself her protector. Someone is after Iris and she doesn't know why.

I really liked both Iris and Maddox. Iris is a healing empath who is suffering from a bit of burnout. Every timeVery good conclusion to the Browning Sisters trilogy. Iris has arrived on the island to meet a friend, only to find that the friend signed them up for a conference about paranormal abilities and is now missing. While searching for her friend Iris meets Maddox who calls himself a beach bum but seems to have appointed himself her protector. Someone is after Iris and she doesn't know why.

I really liked both Iris and Maddox. Iris is a healing empath who is suffering from a bit of burnout. Every time she takes on someone's pain it exhausts her and it is taking her longer to recover. She's hoping that some time away will give her a break. Discovering that her friend is missing just adds to her worries. She meets Maddox when she asks him if he's seen her friend. She moves on when he hasn't but he worries about the way she looks and follows just in time to catch her when she collapses. She hesitates to accept his offered help, especially when she senses a darkness from him, but she also feels she can trust him. As they work together their attraction only grows stronger. Iris begins to feel more of Maddox's emotional pain and wants to help him, but he resists. When she finds out what is going on at the conference she insists on helping feeling a need to do something to stop what is happening. I really liked her attitude of wanting to help even though Maddox was telling her to leave. She had an amazing amount of strength of will to be able to do what she does even though she is also afraid. I loved the way she brought people together at the end to save the day.

Maddox is still recovering from things that happened in his past. He has terribly guilty feelings which prevent him from letting anyone else depend on him. When he meets Iris there is something about her that he just can't stay away from. I loved the way that he used his connections to help her find out what happened to her friend. He was also there to help her when she was attacked and insisted on continuing to protect her. He doesn't understand the "hoodoo" that she does but can't deny that it exists. The more time he spends with Iris the more he comes to care for her, but he feels that the things in his past make it impossible for him to have any kind of relationship. When parts of that past show up on the island he has to face them to get the future that's waiting for him. ...more

Iris Browning is an empath who is searching for her friend in the foreign country where they are supposed to be attending a conference but discovers that she needs help. Maddox Heller unwillingly is drawn into the search that becomes progressively more dangerous but fortunately has his military training to help him overcome some of the obstacles despite his issues with his own past. He is unwillingly drawn to the determined woman who has even more powers than he ever dreamed. A tale that lives uIris Browning is an empath who is searching for her friend in the foreign country where they are supposed to be attending a conference but discovers that she needs help. Maddox Heller unwillingly is drawn into the search that becomes progressively more dangerous but fortunately has his military training to help him overcome some of the obstacles despite his issues with his own past. He is unwillingly drawn to the determined woman who has even more powers than he ever dreamed. A tale that lives up to the series line that focuses on 'intrigue' in an enjoyable read that combines psychic phenomena with a dangerous plot that threatens the stability of the world....more

I was raised in Alabama, so I know we Southerners don't hide our crazy people—we showcase them. Eccentric people make for the best stories, and we Southerners do love our stories. The need to tell stories has been a driving force in my life from childhood.

As a girl, my favorite books were mysteries and romances. When I realized there were books that featured both romance and mystery, I knew I'd foI was raised in Alabama, so I know we Southerners don't hide our crazy people—we showcase them. Eccentric people make for the best stories, and we Southerners do love our stories. The need to tell stories has been a driving force in my life from childhood.

As a girl, my favorite books were mysteries and romances. When I realized there were books that featured both romance and mystery, I knew I'd found my calling. Now I get to play both matchmaker and murderer and get paid for it. Could there be a better job anywhere?

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